Just yesterday, after recommending this whiskey to the umpteenth person (and after giving it as a gift, and, ahem, enjoying it myself), I realized I need to share it here. Go buy High West Distillery’s Barreled Manhattan. It’s delicious, hand-labeled, special, and perfect for any occasion.
In O.C., you can find it at Costa Mesa’s Hi-Time Wine (where I also order Shiner seasonals). In Park City, where it’s from (and where my family went through more than one bottle last Thanksgiving), it’s everywhere. In Austin, you can find it at at least one Spec’s store.
Here’s the rundown (from the website):
The High West Barreled Manhattan is made from two parts of High West’s Double Rye! Whiskey, one part sweet red vermouth, and two dashes of Angostura bitters for every 2.5-ounce serving. It was then aged in a 2-year-old rye whiskey barrel for 3-6 months. The addition of the vermouth lowers the pH and the percent alcohol by volume – increasing the break down of the oak’s hemi-cellulose, increasing the wood sugars that dissolve into the “cocktail” inside. Because a barrel “breathes”, there’s also some oxidation of the “cocktail.” This mellows out the sharpness of the bitters and vermouth, making what we think is a darn fine elixir.
Word. This is a delicious, fancy drink you need in your house to impress guests, yourself, and gift-recipients.